Mining planer pivotal on base



Feb. 21, 1967 A. LCBBE ETAL MINING PLANER PIVOTAL ON BASE 2 Sheets-Sheet1 Filed Aug. 8, 1963 INVENTORs: AIR w, L 6565 Me /g T0196! RASSM/l/ BYW) Feb. 21, 1967 A. LOBBE ETAL 3,305,269

' MINING PLANER PIVOTAL ON BASE Filed Aug. 8, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVEN TOP 5 1 ARM/N 0B5! M/CHRISTaP/I @455 AMA,

United States Patent 3,305,269 MINTNG PLANER PIVOTAL 0N BASE ArminLiibhe, Oberaden post Kamen, and Christoph Rassmann, Lumen, Germany,assignors to Gewerlrschaft Eisenhutte Westfalia, Westphalia, Germany, acorporation of Germany Filed Aug. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 300,285 Claimspriority, application6g7l9ermany, Aug. 9, 1962, 10 Claims. (Cl. 299-34)The present invention relates to a mining planer for the extraction ofminerals such as coal and the like, and more particularly to such amining planer having cutting means thereon displaceable in a singleplane with respect thereto.

In co-pending US. application Serial No. 252,528, filed January 18,1963, a planer arrangement for extracting minerals such as coal from amine face is disclosed, and specifically a planer and a guide meanstherefor to permit the extraction of mineral to a predetermined depthwith a minimum of friction as the planer moves back and forth along themine face. Briefly, a planer and guide arrangement for guiding theplaner longitudinally back and forth along a mine face for extractingmineral from the mine face is shown in said co-pending application,which comprises elongated support means adapted to extend longitudinallyalong the mine face, elongated groove means disposed longitudinallyalong said support means on one lateral side thereof, and elongatedtrack means disposed longitudinally along and laterally outwardlyextending from said groove means and laterally terminating at an outerlateral edge, the track means having a longitudinally extending upperslide face laterally outwardly and downwardly extending from a higherlevel adjacent the groove means to a lower level at said outer lateraledge, and the lower level of the slide face at said outer lateral edgesubstantially coinciding with the level of the mine floor. Thearrangement further includes base means longitudinally movable back andforth along the mine face and having a base means bottom portion, thebase means bottom portion having lug means extending outwardlytherefrom, with the lug means being received in the groove meansdisposed along said support means, and With the base means bottomportion being positioned in slidable contact with the track means upperslide face. Furthermore, cutting means are disposed on the base meansfor extractive engagement with the mine face for removal of mineraltherefrom, the cutting means being limitedly displaceable between alower and a higher position with respect to the base means along a linesubstantially in the longitudinal direction yet inclined with respect tothe mine floor, the cutting means having a cutting means bottom portion,and the cutting means being displaced to the lower position with thecutting means bottom portion in longitudinal slidable contact with themine floor during movement of the base means in one directionlongitudinally along the mine face and with the cutting means beingdisplaced to the higher position with the cutting means bottom portionabove and out of longitudinal slidable contact with the mine floorduring movement of the base means in the opposite directionlongitudinally along the mine face. In this way, the groove means andtrack means guide the planer mounted thereon during back and forthmovement of the planer along the mine face to extract coal or othermineral to a predetermined depth measured by the distance between theoutermost lateral edge of the track means and the outermost extension ofthe cutting tools. Generally, the support means takes the form of adouble chain scraper conveyor of the well known type in which mineralextracted from the mine face is received and conveyed away from the siteof operations by spaced apart scraper bars connected at the lateral3,35,269 Patented Feb. 21, 1967 ends thereof to endless chain drivemeans, with the return chain portion passing in opposite direction onthe under side of the conveyor. Attached to the conveyor is the groovemeans which takes the form in one embodiment of that invention of ahousing for the drive chain attached to the lugs of the planer fortransporting the planer therealong, the return chain in this case beinghoused in an upper channel whose housing also serves as a transversesupport preventing transverse displacement of the planer away from themine face. The conveyor and guiding means and in turn the planer areurged against the mine face so that the planer will achieve a maximumextraction of mineral during each passage against the mine face.

The foregoing construction utilizes the track means and chain channelhousings for supporting the planar during its movement back and forthalong the mine face so that the cutting means of the planar willdirectly engage the mine face and be prevented from transversedisplacement even where excessive counter forces are met in the mineface by the cutting means. Of course, it is of decisive importance thatthe distance between the adjacent side of the conveyor and the mine facehe kept as small as possible. This is true since the mineral beingextracted by the planar should be within the range of the conveyor sothat such mineral will be deposited onto the conveyor as the same isbeing extracted. Nevertheless, in this small area between the conveyorand the mine face the guiding elements for the planer must still bepositioned, and sufficient space must also be provided for the planeritself to pass so that the cutting means thereon may be displacedbetween the upper and lower positions are aforesaid. Under the mostoptimum conditions a certain amount of free space will remain betweenthe adjacent portions of the guiding elements and the mine face beingworked. The loosened or extracted mineral, such as coal, falls into thisfree space and must be loaded therefrom onto the conveyor. This isusually accomplished by the moving planer itself, which by its verypresence displaces the falling mineral outwardly from the mine face andonto the conveyor. For great efficiency in this displacing action of theplaner on the falling mineral, it is advantageous if the planer containa slanting surface in the nature of a plow which directs the coal ontothe planer. A further advantage is in providing the track means of theaforementioned construction of said co-pending application andespecially the slide face which is inclined and smooth to an extentpermitting the displacement of the coal therefrom, i.e. in the freespace, and onto the conveyor. Among the constructions seeking to achievethe foregoing result in which the guiding elements for the planer arealso designed as a loading ramp for use in directing the loosenedmineral onto the conveyor is that shown in German Patent 800,855,wherein the planer guide is also provided with recesses in whichprojections of the planer are guided in order to secure the same againstdislocation from the desired position in direct extractive engagementwith the mine face. Where a cutting means carrying cutting tools orchisels is desired which is to be pivoted on a base means of the planerabout a particular axis passing through the base means, for instance,the design difiiculties for providing such a construction useful inpractice are considerable. This is because it is impossible to achievesufficient spacmg within the small amount of space available, betweenthe axis of rotation or pivot axis passing through the base means andthe tips of the chisels or outermost points of the cutting tools, sothat the cutting means carrying the same will be able to swing into themine face or coal seam in consequence of the resistance of the chiselsor cutting tools as is the case with the construction shown in GermanPatent 800,856. If the base means of the planer were to be constructeddeep or broad enough for the axis to be placed at the correct distance,in view of the need for a very small space between the conveyor and themine face, the planer body would have to at least partially overreachthe conveyor to attain the distance required for providing the pivot forpractical operations. However, with the planer body over reaching theconveyor, the conveyor itself is subject to undesired jamming with theover reaching portion of the planer body, considering the fact that theconveyor will be carrying thereon extracted mineral reaching a heightnormally in the path of the lowermost portion of the over reachingplaner body. Such disadvantages are solved by the basically differentarrangement of the cutting means carrying the chisels or working toolsas disclosed in the aforementioned co-pending US. application, but ofcourse the arrangement therein shown is not necessarily the mostsuitable in every case.

While a pair of chain channel housings are provided on the side of theconveyor adjacent the mine face in accordance with the construction ofthe aforesaid copending US. application, the lower channel is providedwith the slit or groove means into which the lugs of the planer areinserted for attachment with the drive chain, so that if the drive chaindisposed in the lower channel facing the mine face being worked isdamaged or is broken, it is diflicult to determine just where the breakis located without pulling the entire conveyor arrangement away from themine face. Actually, it is necessary to unbolt the cover portion of thehousing of the guiding channels in order to attain access to the damagedor broken chain. Naturally, this procedure can result in a great loss oftime and effort.

While other constructions are known in which a keel or plate extendsfrom the bottom of the planer under the conveyor so as to prevent thetransverse displacement of the planer from extractive engagement withthe mine face, such an arrangement suffers from the disadvantage that ahigh amount of friction is encountered in moving the planer along theconveyor not only by reason of the sliding contact between the keel orplate with the mine floor but also because of the downward thrustthereon of the conveyor itself carrying the heavy content of extractedmineral thereon. To avoid the problems connected with the use of a keelor plate passing under the conveyor, a construction such as thatdisclosed in said co-pending US application has been utilized.

Published Dutch patent application 237,463, i.e. corresponding to GermanPatent 1,133,688, discloses a construction utilizing spherical surfacesas contact surfaces between the cutting means and the base means of theplaner to achieve the desired pivoting of the cutting tools on thecutting means, but due to the prohibitive expense of manufacturing aplaner of this type and the problems of maintenance connected therewith,such arrangement does not provide the answer to the problems discussedhereinabove.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the foregoingdrawbacks and to provide a mining planer for extracting minerals such ascoal, which contains cutting means pivotally mounted on the base meansthereof and displaceable in only a single plane with respect to the basemeans, the pivoting being achieved without the tselpf a pivot axiswithin the confines of the base means 1 se It is another object of thepresent invention to provide a keelless planar arrangement usable with asupport means therefor housing the driving chain means for the planer,such that the planar will be forced directly against the mine face beingworked and prevented from transverse displacement therefrom, with theplaner occupying together with the support means a minimum Pace betweenthe mine face and the adjacently disposed conveyor.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide such aplaner in which the cutting means carrying the cutting tools ispivotable or displaceable on the base means within adjustable limits ofpivoting range, using a pivot axis remote from the planer in a directionaway from the mine face.

Other and further objects of the present invention Will become apparentfrom a study of the within specification and accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a planar and guide arrangementillustrating the maximum utilization of the minimum space between themine face and the conveyor for mounting the planer on the support meanstherefor, the axis of pivot of the cutting means on the base means ofthe planer being located at a remote distance from the base means andthe mine face;

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1illustrating the arcuate interconnection between the cutting means andbase means of the planer;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a particular embodiment of the planer inaccordance with the invention illustrating partially in phantom theadjustable stop means for limiting the pivotal range of the cuttingmeans with respect to the base means; and

FIG. 4 is a partial schematic sectional view taken along the line 4-4 ofFIG. 3 illustrating constructional details of the stop means.

It has now been found in accordance with the present invention that aplaner and guide arrangement for guiding a planer longitudinally backand forth along a mine face for extracting mineral from the mine facemay now be provided, in which the planer comprises base meanslongitudinally movable back and forth along the mine face, an arcuateretaining groove defined in the base means, cutting means, and anarcuate retaining flange defined on the cutting means, the arcuategroove representing the arc of a chord of a circle in a plane passingthrough the planer and having its center at a point remote from suchplaner, and the cutting means being slidably mounted for arcuatepivoting on the base means about an axis of pivot defined by the centerof such circle with said retaining flange in arcuate slidable retainingengagement with said retaining groove to permit such arcuate pivotingwhile preventing otherwise displacement of the cutting means withrespect to the base means. The plane in which such circle is locatedadvantageously passes through the planer in a direction inclineddownwardly from the center of said circle at such remote point on theremote side of the planer from the cutting means to the side of theplaner where the cutting means is mounted. Means are provided also forthe cutting means slidably mounted on the base means with said retainingflange in engagement with said retaining groove to prevent anydisplacement with respect to said plane except limited rotationaldisplacement about the axis of pivot in question. Such means forpreventing said displacement conveniently include a correspondinglyinclined marginal flange defined on the base means and a coactingretaining lip defined on the cutting means which slidably envelopes andlimitedly retains the marginal flange to permit the limited rotationdisplacement of the cutting means with respect to the base means.

More specifically, the base means includes lug means disposed thereon onthe side thereof remote from the cutting means for attachment with drivecable means for moving the base means back and forth along the mineface. Moreover, the base means includes a base means upper flat surfaceinclined downwardly in the general direction of the aforesaid plane, abase means middle flat surface inclined downwardly in the direction ofsaid plane and being spaced from said base means upper surface, a basemeans lower flat surface inclined downwardly in the general direction ofsaid plane and being spaced from the base means middle surface, a basemeans arcuate groove surface intermediate said base means upper andmiddle surfaces and intersecting said plane such that the line ofintersection therebetween generally represents the arc of said chord ofsuch circle, a locking plate removably disposed on the base means uppersurface and having an end portion extending radially beyond the arcuategroove surface in the direction away from the center of said circle, abase means arcuate bead defined on the locking plate end portion andextending toward the base means middle surface and being generallyequidistant from said arcuate groove surface along their common extentwhereby to define therebetween said arcuate retaining groove, and a basemeans arcuate marginal surface intermediate the base means middle andlower surfaces. On the other hand, the cutting means includes cuttingtools or chisels disposed thereon for extractive engagement with themine face as well as a cutting means upper flat surface in slidableengagement with the adjacent portion of said arcuate bead, a cuttingmeans middle flat surface in slidable engagement with the adjacentportion of said base means middle surface, a corresponding cutting meansarcuate bead adjacent said cutting means upper and middle surfaces andtogether therewith defining said arcuate retaining flange with saidcutting means arcuate bead situated in slidable engagement with theadjacent portions of said arcuate groove surface and said arcuate bead,a corresponding cutting means lower flat surface in slidable engagementwith the adjacent portion of said base means lower surface, and acorresponding cutting means arcuate marginal surface intermediate saidcutting means middle and lower surfaces and containing end stop meansthereon. The cutting means arcuate marginal surface is disposed inslidable engagement with the base means arcuate marginal surface withthe end stop means limiting the relative slidable displacementtherebetween, and the base means middle and lower surfaces and said basemeans arcuate marginal surface together defining the marginal flange,while the cutting means middle and lower surfaces and the cutting meansarcuate marginal surface together define the coacting retaining liptherefor.

In accordance with a particular embodiment of the invention, an apertureis defined in the cutting means having lateral edge surfaces and acooperating adjustable limit stop projection means is defined on thebase means, the stop projection means extending into the aperturebetween the lateral edge surfaces thereof for engaging such surfacesduring the arcuate pivoting of the cutting means to limit the rotationaldisplacement of such cutting means with respect to the base means.Actually, the axis of pivot which is remote from the base means as wellas from the cutting means is defined by a line perpendicular to theplane of the circle in question and passing through the center thereof.By reason of the arcuate retaining groove and arcuate retaining flangeas Well as the marginal flange and retaining lip, the cutting means isonly able to pivot with respect to the base means in a single plane.

The planer guide for the planer is adapted to rest on a mine floor forguiding the planer and comprises elongated support means adapted toextend longitudinally along the mine face, elongated upper groove meansdisposed longitudinally along the upper portion of the support means onone lateral side thereof, elongated lower groove means disposedlongitudinally along the lower portion of the support means on the otherlateral side thereof, and elongated track means extending longitudinallybetween the upper and lower groove means including an upper crestportion adjacent the upper groove means and a downwardly inclinedportion adjacent the lower groove means, the track means beingpositioned for receiving the planer thereon in sliding abutmenttherewith with corresponding portions of the planer being slidablyretained in the upper and lower groove means to permit the planer to beconducted along the track means without displacement transversely of theelongated support means. Advantageously, a mine face engaging knifeprobe is provided on the lower portion of the elongated support meanslateral ly outwardly of the lower groove means and resting on the minefloor for engaging the lower portion of the adjacent mine face thereatto anchor the support means against the mine face to prevent transversedisplacement thereof even where excessive forces are met by the planerin extractive engagement with the mine face.

More specifically, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention,the planer guide arrangement includes an elongated mining conveyoradapted to extend longitudinally along the mine face and having opposingvertical side wall means and a central horizontal conveyor path means,plate means vertically mounted on one of the side wall means of theconveyor, elongated upper channel means and elongated lower channelmeans disposed longitudinally along the conveyor and secured at acorresponding lateral side to the conveyor via the plate means, theupper channel means representing the housing for the forward guide cablemeans for driving the planer and a guideway for the portion of theplaner to which the drive cable means are attached, and the lowerchannel means representing the housing for the return drive cable means.The upper channel means have an upper crest portion and a lower slideportion with the crest and slide portions being spaced from one anotherat the corresponding parts thereof adjacent the plate means to define alongitudinally extending slit therebet-ween for receiving within theupper channel means therethrough the lug means of the planer to whichthe cable means are attached. On the other hand, the lower channel meanshas a laterally outwardly and downwardly inclined portion on the sidethereof remote from the plate means as well as a bottom lateral portion.The bottom lateral portion in turn has a first upwardly directed flangeattached to the plate means and a second upwardly directed flangeextending outwardly beyond the lower end of the inclined portion to forma retaining trough with the lower end of the inclined portion thereat.The mine face engaging knife probe is conveniently disposed on thelaterally outer end of the second flange for engaging the mine face asaforesaid. Brace means are provided to interconnect the crest and lowerslide portions as well as the inclined portion with the first upwardlydirected flange attached to the plate means, as well as rib meansinterconnecting the lower end of the inclined portion with the bottomlateral portion. The crest and inclined portions on the correspondingsides thereof remote from the conveyor advantages define track means formounting the planer to be conducted along the mine face with the lugmeans of the planer to which the cable means are attached being receivedwithin the upward channel means through the slit and with acorresponding planer portion being received within the retaining troughto permit longitudinal movement of the planer without transversedisplacement with respect to the planer guide.

It will be realized from the foregoing that the present inventionprovides an answer to the problem of constructing a planer device in thelight of the aforesaid copending US. Application and German Patents800,855 and 800,856 as well as published Dutch Patent Application237,463, in such a manner that the planer does not overreach theconveyor, yet with the driving chain easily accessible to the mineworker for repairs and maintenance and without increasing the spaceremaining between the mine face and the guiding elements disposedagainst the conveyor. For this purpose, it may be considered that aplurality of flat and parallel contact surfaces are provided between thecutting means carrying the cutting tools and the base means, witharcuate or partially annular surfaces being disposed therebetween havingan imaginary axis lying outside of the planar, and which are disposed inreleasable arrangement and/or offset arrangement to the extentpermitting the cutting means to be held on the base means for pivotingin only one plane. It will be realized that where a slanting ramp ortrack means is used as guiding surfaces for the planer, and where theforces transmitted to the cutting means cannot be taken up byappropriately strong pivot pins, and above all, where there isinsuflficient space on the base means, the construction of the presentinvention may be used effectively for providing a comparatively narrowor thin cutting means on a correspondingly narrow or thin base meanscarried on support means adjacent the conveyor, the foregoing beingachieved in a comparatively simple and durable manner as compared, forinstance, with the spherical surfaces employed in the construction ofpublished Dutch Patent Application 237,463.

Referring to the drawing, in FIG. 1 a planer 1 is shown including a basemeans 2 and a cutting means 3 disposed thereon in pivotal slidingdisposition. Cutting means 3 is provided with chisels or cutting tools 4used for engaging the mine face for the extraction of minerals such ascoal therefrom. Base means 2 is provided with a plurality of inclinedfiat contact surfaces including upwardly directed base means uppercontact surface 5, upwardly directed base means middle contact surface6, and base means downwardly directed lowercontact surface 7. An arcuatecontact surface 8 having the center axis 59 is disposed between contactsurfaces 5 and 6, forming a continuation thereof at that portion of basemeans 2 more or less perpendicular in direction to the planes passingthrough contact surfaces 5 and 7. On the other hand, arcuate contactsurface 9 is provided between fiat contact surfaces 6 and 7 whereby toform the marginal flange 10. A locking plate 11 is dispose-d on uppercontact surface 5 by means of the bolts 12 removably fixing lookingplate 11 to base means 2 thereat. Locking plate 11 is provided at itsdownwardly and outwardly directed free end with an arcuate bead 13having a downwardly directed lower end surface 14 and a radiallyinwardly directed arcuate contact surface 15 having an axis of curvaturedefined with respect to the axis 59 such that contact surface 15 isspaced from contact surface 8 on base means 2 in an equidistant mannerso as to provide an arcuate retaining groove therebetween whichgenerally represents the arc of a chord corresponding to a circle in aninclined plane passing downwardly through the planer 1 toward the mineface 58 with the center of such circle being located at the intersectionof such plane with the axis 59.

The cutting means 3, on the other hand, is provided with a correspondingplurality of flat contact surfaces including upwardly directed cuttingmeans upper contact surface 16, downwardly directed cutting means middlecontact surface 17, and upwardly directed cutting means lower contactsurface 18, such that cutting means surface 16 slidably engagesdownwardly directed lower end surface 14 of locking plate 11 whilecutting means contact surface 17 slidably engages base means contactsurface 6 with cutting means contact surface 18 slidably engaging basemeans contact surface '7. Furthermore, cutting means 3 is provided withan arcuate contact surface 19 correspondingly shaped for slidablyengaging base means arcuate contact surface 9. The lower portion ofcutting means 3, therefore, includes the retaining member 20 having aretaining lip 21 suitably enclosing the marginal flange of base means 2.Depending upon the particular construction, the bottom edge 22 ofmarginal flange 10 and the corresponding recess 23 on retaining member20 may be arcuately shaped to permit the displacement of cutting means 3with respect to base means 2 without hinderance.

On the upper portion of cutting means 3, the neck 24 defined between theupper contact surface 16 and the middle contact surface 17 projectsbetween the downward lower end surface 14 of locking plate 11 and theupwardly directed base means middle contact surface 6. At the end ofneck 24 a corresponding cutting means arcuate head 25 is provided havingthe upwardly directed end surface 26 adjacent the under side of lockingplate 11 and the arcuate side contact surfaces 27 and 28 adjacent thecorresponding arcuate contact surfaces 8 and 15 respectively whereby toprovide an arcuate retaining flange slidably disposed within the arcuateretaining groove formed by the appropriate portions of base means 2 andlocking plate 11. A top cover 29 may be placed over locking plate 11 toprotect the slidably abutting parts from mineral being extracted by theplaner 1.

It will be appreciated that the arcuate contact surfaces 27 and 28 ofthe neck 24 on the cutting means 3 are equidistant from one another andrespectively equidistant from the adjacent arcuate contact surfaces 8and 15 as may be seen more clearly from FIG. 2. Considering that all ofsuch arcuate surfaces represent arcs of chords of circles concentricwith one another and having a common center at the axis 59, it will bereadily understood that cutting means 3 may be slidably displaced withrespect to base meeans 2 about an imaginary axis located at 59, i.e.remote from the actual planer itself. Of course, while the arcuateretaining flange of the cutting means will engage the arcuate retaininggroove of the 'base means including the locking plate thereon so as toguide the pivotal movement in question at a fixed distance with respectto the axis 59 by reason of the retaining member 20 having the retaininglip 21 enveloping and enclosing the marginal flange 10, no deviation ofcutting means 3 with respect to base means 2 out of the plane of pivotalmovement will be able to occur, i.e. cutting means 3 will remain inretained sliding engagement with base means 2 regardless of the forcesacting on the cutting tools 4 as the planer 1 engages the mine face 58.

On the lower end portion of base means 2 a follower projection 30 isprovided and on the side of base means 2 remote from the cutting means 3lug means 31 are provided for attachment of the planer with drive cablemeans for moving the planer longitudinally back and forth along the mineface. Lug means 31 are connected with base means 2 by means ofappropriate stem means 32. Generally, a pair of lugs are provided, oneat each end of base means 2 for attachment with the corresponding endsof the drive cable means, each lug being attached by an appropriate stemwith the main portion of the base means. An appropriate slide surface isprovided on the under side of base means 2 including a curved slidesurface 33 adjacent the stern means 32 and an inclined slide surface 34along the adjacent portion of follower projection 3d.

In order to guide the planer 1 longitudinally back and forth along themine face, a double chain scraper conveyor 35 of well known constructionis provided such as for example as disclosed in US. Patents 2,810,565issued October 22, 1957, and 2,990,168 issued June 27, 1961. Mineralextracted by the planer 1 such as coal, is loaded onto the conveyor 35and carried therealong by a scraper bar mechanism, not shown, comprisingparallel chains interconnected along their common length by scraper barsfor conveying the coal or other mineral from the site of extraction. Theconveyor 35 generally includes a scraper surface 36 forming a centralhorizontal conveyor path as well as a pair of side walls 37 of whichonly the one adjacent the mine face is shown. A vertical plate 38 isconnected by bolt 39 with the side wall 37 of the conveyor 35, bolt 39being suitably accommodated with the bifurcated portion 40 of conveyor35. Bolt 39 also secures the upwardly directed flange 41 of bottomlateral portion 42 of the support means for the planer 1, bottom lateralportion 42 extending outwardly and downwardly toward the mine face 58and containing a lower positioned upwardly directed flange 43. Thesupport means for the planer 1 also includes a track means 44 having acrest portion 45, and inclined portion 46, said track means 44 beingsecured by brace 47 and bolt 48 with the upwardly directed flange 41 ofthe bottom lateral portion 42 of the support means and in turn with thevertical plate 38 attached by bolt 39 to the conveyor 35. In order tomaintain the lower portion of track means 44 in fixed disposition ribmeans 49 may be provided, connected by pin 50 with bottom lateralportion 42 at the lower end thereof, the upper end of rib means 49suitably encircling the brace 47. A slide plate 51 of curvedconfiguration is positioned between the upper end of flange 41 and theupper end of rib means 49, said slide plate 51 being reinforced on itsunder side by brace means 47.

It will be understood in this connection that since conveyor 35, plate38, bottom lateral portion 42, including the flanges 41 and 43, trackmeans 44, including the crest portion 45 and the inclined portion 46,and slide plate 51 all extend longitudinally along the mine face, aplurality of spaced apart braces 47, bolts 48, rib means 49, pins 50,and bolts 39 will be provided to attain the desired supporting structurefor the planer.

The slit 52 provided between the crest portion 45 of track means 44 andthe slide plate 51 permits the stem means 32 of the base means 2 toextend therethrough for accommodating the lug means 31 within the upperelongated channel 53 defined by the crest portion 45 and the slide plate51 thereat. A corresponding lower channel 54 is provided thereunder bythe appropriate parts of the bottom lateral portion 42 and the trackmeans 44, so that the drive chain 55 may pass in forward directionwithin the upper channel 53 and in the return direction within the lowerchannel 54. In this way, by attaching the chain 55 to the appropriatelugs and driving the chain mounted on sprockets at the ends of thesupporting arrangement, the planer 1 may be driven back and forth alongthe mine face as desired.

It will be appreciated that by reason of the upward flange 43 and theappropriate portion of track means 44, a retaining trough 56 is providedwhich receives the follower projection 31) of the base means 2, thuspreventing the base means from 'being transversely displaced out of thetrough 56 and away from the mine face. Actually, the curved slidesurface 33 on the under side of base means 2 slidably engages thecorresponding crest portion 45 of track means 44 whereas the inclinedslide surface 34 of base means 2 slidably engages the inclined portion46 of track means 44 so as to support the planer 1 on its guidingarrangement with a minimum of friction and wear, yet with the planeroccupying efficiently the small space between the conveyor and the mineface. Because of the stem means 32 and the lug means 31 within the upperchannel 53 and because of the follower projection 30 within theretaining trough 56, the planer is prevented from derailment or eventranverse displacement or tilting away from direct engagement with themine face. It will be appreciated that the inclined slide surface 34 ofbase means 2 will be provided with an appropriate groove therealongadjacent the connecting portion of bolts 48 on the exterior of trackmeans 44 to permit the unobstructed movement of the base means along thetrack means.

Appropriate driving systems for conveying the planer along the mine faceare well known and examples of these are disclosed in US. Patents2,810,565, and 2,990,- 168 noted above.

The mine face engaging knife probe 57 is provided at the outer end ofbottom lateral portion 42 for engaging the mine face and securing theguiding arrangement against any tilting as, for example, might be causedby excessive counter forces met by the cutting means during extractiveengagement with the mine face. The conveyor 35 may be appropriatelyurged toward the mine face to anchor the knife probe 57 into such mineface by various means and it will be understood that the knife probe mayconsist of an angular element or a plurality thereof, and/or a pluralityof spaced apart knife or pick elements each engaging the mine faceadjacent thereto.

In order to urge the conveyor toward the mine face various urging meansmay be used such as piston cylinder means (not shown), such as disclosedin the aforesaid U. S. Patent 2,990,168, provided on the side ofconveyor 35 remote from the side containing the planer guide means. Theurging means are normally positioned against the opposing vertical sidewall 37 (not shown) so as to urge the conveyor 35 in a directiontransverse to the longitudinal direction, i.e. towards the mine face.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show the planer embodiment of the present inventioncontaining stop means between the base means 2 and the cutting means 3.An aperture 69 is provided in cutting means 3 having side limit surfacesdefined by the parallel side walls of the aperture. An adjustable limitstop projection or block 61 extends into aperture 60 and is mounted inan adjustable manner by pivot pin 63 onto base means 2. Block 61 ofpolygonal shape having certain of its polygonal faces closer to itscenter than others is mounted for rotation within aperture 60 to providevarious widths between the appropriate polygonal faces of block 61 andthe adjacent side limit surfaces of aperture 60. For this purpose, aswitching mechanism 62 is employed such that block 61 can be locked inany one of its positions on pivot 63 by means of cover plate 65 equippedwith pin 64. Accordingly, by simply removing pin 64 from engagement withswitching mechanism 62, block 61 may be turned to provide a differentset of polygonal faces adjacent the side limit surfaces of aperture 60,whereupon cover plate 65 may be pressed inwardly once more until pin 64thereon lockingly engages the corresponding recess in switchingmechanism 62 whereby to prevent any further displacement or rotation ofblock 61 at this point. For best results, pivot pin 63 is mounted onbase means 2 at the front side of marginal flange 10 while aperture 60is correspondingly provided in the adjacently disposed retaining member20 (see FIG. 1).

Thus, in accordance with the present invention a construction isprovided in which the cutting means is pivotable in only one plane andonly about one axis of pivot with the various flat contact surfacesbeing preferably parallel to one another and perpendicular to such axisof pivot. The arcuate tracks provided by the various contact faces insliding abutment wit-h one another control the path of movement of thecutting means on the base means and in connection with the adjustablestop means limit the range of arcuate movement or pivoting of thecutting means on the base means, regardless of the counter forces met bythe cutting tools in engagement with the mine face. Moreover, by reasonof the marginal flange enveloped by the retaining member carrying theretaining lip, no deviation of the cutting means with respect to thebase means can occur, i.e. out of the plane of rotation desired. Inaddition to the efficient utilization of the small space providedbetween the conveyor and the mine face by reason of the particularconstruction of the planer device of the present invention, it will berealized that the support means therefor including the housing for thechain drive means is particularly suitable inasmuch as the slit throughwhich the lugs of the planer extend into the upper chain housing islocated on the side of the support means remote from the main portion ofthe planer so as to permit easy access of the mine worker to the drivechain thereat, i.e. over the entire length of the chain housing. Thus,the chain housing may be dismantled expediently by merely removing thevarious bolts 48 of braces 47 and pins 50 of rim means 49. Although thehousing means for the drive chain is quite stable and strong enough towithstand the tilting forces transmitted by the planer upon engaging themine face, the use of the knife probe serves to transmit some of theseforces directly back to the mine face.

It will be realized that the guide means arrangement of the presentinvention may be used with a planer not specifically equipped with theaforementioned displaceable cutting means on the base means, yet thedesired positive engagement of the planer with the mine face would beobtained together with the prevention of the deviation of the planerfrom its normal path, the advantage of the drive means arrangement beingthat the upper chain drive housing is accessible along its length on theside thereof away from the mine face, and the advantage 'of the planerdevice being that favorable and efficient pivoting of the cutting meansmay take place on a comparatively narrow base means, i.e. considered inthe transverse direction. The combination of the instant planer and theinstant guide arrangement, nevertheless, permits all of the advantagesof both configurations to be attained in a common operation with anover-all construction simple to manufacture, durable in use, andpermitting operation with a minimum energy requirement.

What is claimed is:

1. Planer for extracting mineral from a mine face which comprises basemeans longitudinally movable back and forth along the mine face, anarcuate retaining groove defined in said base means, cutting means, andan arcuate retaining flange defined on said cutting means, said arcuategroove representing the arc of a chord of a circle in a plane passingthrough said planer and having its center at a point remote from suchplaner, and said cutting means being slidably mounted for arcuatepivoting on said base means about an axis of pivot defined by the centerof such circle with said retaining flange in arcuate slidable retainingengagement with said retaining groove to permit such arcuate pivotingwhile preventing otherwise displacement of said cutting means withrespect to said base means.

2. Planer according to claim 1 wherein said plane passes through saidplaner in a direction inclined downwardly from said center at suchremote point on the remote side of said planer from the cutting means tothe side of said planer Where said cutting means is mounted, and meansare provided for said cutting means slidably mounted on said base meanswith said retaining flange in engagement with said retaining groove toprevent any displacement with respect to said plane except limitedrotational displacement about said axis of pivot.

3. Planer according to claim 2 wherein said means for preventing suchdisplacement include a correspondingly downwardly inclined marginalflange defined on said base means and a coacting retaining lip definedon said cutting means which slidably envelops and limitedly retains saidmarginal flange to permit said limited rotational displacement of saidcutting means with respect to said base means.

4. Planer according to claim 3 wherein said base means includes lugmeans disposed thereon on the side thereof remote from said cuttingmeans for attachment with drive cable means for moving said base meansback and forth along the mine face, a base means upper flat surfaceinclined downwardly in the general direction of said plane, a base meansmiddle flat surface inclined downwardly in the direction of said planeand being spaced from said base means upper surface, a base means lowerflat surface inclined downwardly in the general direction of said planeand being spaced from said base means middle surface, a base meansarcuate groove surface intermediate said base means upper and middlesurfaces and intersecting said plane such that the line of intersectiontherebetween generally represents the arc of said chord of said circle,a locking plate removably disposed on said base means upper surface andhaving an end portion extending radially beyond said arcuate groovesurface in the direction away from said center of said circle, a basemeans arcuate bead defined on the locking plate end portion andextending toward said base means middle surface and being generallyequidistant from said arcuate groove surface along their common extentwhereby to define therebetween said arcuate retaining groove, and a basemeans arcuate marginal surface intermediate said base means middle andlower surfaces, and wherein said cutting means includes cutting toolsdisposed thereon for extractive engagement with the mine face, a cuttingmeans upper flat surface in slidable engagement with the adjacentportion of said arcuate bead, a cutting means middle fiat surface inslidable engagement with the adjacent portion of said base means middlesurface, a corresponding cutting means arcuate bead adjacent saidcutting means upper and middle surfaces and together therewith definingsaid arcuate retaining flange with said cutting means arcuate beadsituated in slidable engagement with the adjacent portions of saidarcuate groove surface and said arcuate bead, a corresponding cuttingmeans lower fiat surface in slidable engagement with the adjacentportion of said base means lower surface and a corresponding cuttingmeans arcuate marginal surface intermediate said cutting means middleand lower surfaces and containing end stop means thereon, said cuttingmeans arcuate marginal surface being in slidable engagement with saidbase means arcuate marginal surface with said end stop means limitingthe relative slidable displacement therebetween, said base means middleand lower surfaces and said base means arcuate marginal surface togetherdefining said marginal flange, and said cutting means middle and lowersurfaces and said cutting means arcuate marginal surface togetherdefining said coacting retaining lip.

5. Planer according to claim 2 wherein an aperture is defined in saidcutting means having lateral edge surfaces and a cooperating adjustablelimit stop projecting means is defined on said base means which extendsinto said aperture between said lateral edge surfaces for engaging saidedge surfaces during the arcuate pivoting of said cutting means to limitthe rotational displacement of said cutting means with respect to saidbase means.

6. Planer for extracting mineral from a mine face which comprises basemeans longitudinally movable back and forth along the mine face, acontact surface defined on said base means inclined with respect to themine face, an arcuate retaining groove defined in said base means,cutting means, a corresponding contact surface defined on said cuttingmeans, an arcuate retaining flange defined on said cutting means, andpivotal limit stop means, said arcuate groove representing the arc of achord of a circle having its center at a point remote from the planer,said cutting means being slidably mounted for arcuate pivoting on saidbase means within the limits of said stop means about an axis of pivotdefined by a line perpendicular to the plane of such circle and passingthrough the center of said circle with the cutting means contact surfacein slidable abutment with the base means contact surface and said flangein arcuate slidable retaining engagement with said groove to permit sucharcuate pivoting while preventing displacement from such slidingabutting disposition of said contact surfaces.

7. Planar for extracting mineral from a mine face which comprises basemeans longitudinally movable back and forth along the mine face, anupwardly facing contact surface defined on said base means in a planeinclined with respect to the mine face, an arcuate retaining groovedefined in said base means, cutting means, a corresponding downwardlyfacing contact surface defined on said cutting means, an arcuateretaining flange defined on said cutting means, and pivotal limit stopmeans including spaced apart side limit surfaces on said cutting meansand adjustable limit stop projection means on said base means extendingbetween said side limit surfaces, said arcuate groove representing thearc of a chord of a circle whose center is located at a point remotefrom the planer, said cutting means being slidably mounted for arcuatepivoting on said base means within the pivotal limits of said stop meansabout an axis of pivot defined by the center of such circle with thecutting means contact surface disposed over the base means contactsurface and in slidable abutment therewith in said plane inclined withrespect to the mine face and with said flange in arcuate slidableretaining engagement with said groove to permit such arcuate pivotingWhile preventing displacement out 13 of said plane of said contactsurfaces with respect to each other.

8. Planer guide adapted to rest on a mine floor for guiding a planerlongitudinally back and forth along a mine face for the extraction ofmineral from the mine face, which comprises an elongated mining conveyoradapted to extend longitudinally along a mine face, said conveyor havingopposing vertical side wall means and a central horizontal conveyor pathmeans, plate means vertically mounted on one of said side wall means,elongated upper channel means and elongated lower channel means disposedlongitudinally along said conveyor and secured at a correspondinglateral side to said conveyor via said plate means, said upper channelmeans representing the housing for the forward drive cable means fordriving the planer and a guideway for the portion of the planer to whichthe drive cable means are attached and the lower channel meansrepresenting the housing for the return drive cable means, said upperchannel means having an upper crest portion and a lower slide portion,said crest and slide portions being spaced from one another at thecorresponding parts thereof adjacent said plate means to define alongitudinally extending slit therebetween to receive within the upperchannel means therethrough the lug means of the planer to which thecable means are attached, said lower channel means having a laterallyoutwardly and downwardly inclined portion on the side thereof remotefrom said plate means and a bottom lateral portion, said bottom lateralportion having a first upwardly directed flange attached to said platemeans and a second upwardly directed flange extending outwardly beyondthe lower end of said inclined portion to form a retaining trough withthe lower end of said inclined portion thereat, a mine face engagingknife probe disposed on the laterally outer end of said second flangefor engaging the mine face, brace means interconnecting said crest andlower slide portions as well as said inclined portion with said firstupwardly directed flange attached to said plate means, and rib meansinterconnecting said lower end of said inclined portion with said bottomlateral portion, said crest and inclined portions on the correspondingsides thereof remote from the conveyor defining track means for mountingthe planer to be conducted along the mine face with the lug means of theplaner to which the cable means are attached being received within theupper channel means through said slit and with a corresponding planerportion being received within said retaining trough to permitlongitudinal movement of such planer guide, said knife probe beingadapted to engage the mine face to anchor the planer guide againstdisplacement.

9. Planer and guide arrangement for guiding a planer longitudinally backand forth along a mine face for extracting mineral from the mine facewhich comprises base means, an arcuate retaining groove defined in saidbase means, cutting means, an arcuate retaining flange defined in saidcutting means, elongated planer support means adapted to extendlongitudinally along a mine face for mounting said planer thereon on onelateral side thereof for movement along the mine face, said arcuategroove representing the arc of a chord of a circle in a plane passingthrough said planer and having its center at a point remote from suchplaner on the other lateral side of said elongated support means, saidcutting means being slidably mounted for pivoting on said base meansabout an axis of pivot defined by the center of such circle with saidarcuate retaining flange in arcuate slidable retaining engagement withsaid arcuate retaining groove to permit such arcuate pivoting whilepreventing otherwise displacement of said cutting means with respect tosaid base means, elongated upper groove means disposed longitudinallyalong the upper portion of said elongated support means on said otherlateral side thereof, elongated lower groove means disposedlongitudinally along the lower portion of said elongated support meanson said one lateral side thereof, elongated track means extendinglongitudinally on said elongated support means and being disposedbetween said elongated upper and lower groove means, said track meansincluding an upper crest portion adjacent said elongated upper groovemeans and a downwardly and outwardly inclined portion adjacent saidelongated lower groove means, said planer being mounted on saidelongated support means in sliding contact with said track means withcorresponding portions of said planer being slidably retained in saidelongated upper and lower groove means to permit said planer to beconducted along said track means without displacement transversely ofsaid elongated support means.

10. Planar and guide arrangement adapted to rest on a mine floor forguiding a planer longitudinally back and forth along a mine floor forthe extraction of mineral from the mine face, which comprises anelongated mining conveyor adapted to extend longitudinally along a mineface, said conveyor having opposing vertical conveyor side wall meansand a central horizontal conveyor path means, plate means verticallymounted on one of said side wall means, elongated upper channel meansand elongated lower channel means disposed longitudinally along saidconveyor and secured at one corresponding lateral side to said conveyorvia said plate means, planer base means mounted on said upper and lowerchannel means and longitudinally movable thereon back and forth alongthe mine face, an arcuate retaining groove defined in said base means,cutting means, an arcuate retaining flange defined on said cuttingmeans, pivotal limit stop means including spaced apart side limitsurfaces on said cutting means and adjustable limit stop projectionmeans on said base means extending between said side limit surfaces,said arcuate retaining groove representing the arc of a chord of acircle in an inclined plane passing downwardly through said planertoward the mine face from the direction of the other of said conveyorside wall means with the center of such circle being located at a pointremote from the planer in the direction of said other of said side wallmeans, an upwardly facing base means upper flat surface defined on saidbase means in a second plane inclined downwardly in the generaldirection of the first said plane, an upwardly facing base means middleflat surface defined on said base means in a third plane inclineddownwardly in the general direction of said first plane and space fromsaid base means upper surface, a downwardly facing base means lower flatsurface defined on said base means in a fourth plane inclined downwardlyin the general direction of said first plane and spaced from said basemeans middle surface, a base means arcuate groove surface defined onsaid base means intermediate said base means upper and middle surfacesand intersecting said first plane such that the line of intersectiontherebetween generally represents the arc of said chord of said circle,a locking plate removably disposed on said base means upper surface andhaving an end portion extending radially beyond said arcuate groovesurface in the direction away from said center of said circle, a basemeans arcuate bead defined on the locking plate end portion andextending downwardly toward said base means middle surface and beinggenerally equidistant from said arcuate groove surface along theircommon extent whereby to define therebetween said arcuate retaininggroove, an outwardly facing base means arcuate marginal surface definedon said base means intermediate said base means middle and lowersurfaces, cutting tools disposed on said cutting means for extractiveengagement with the mine face, a corresponding upwardly facing cuttingmeans upper flat surface defined on said cutting means and disposed inslidable engagement with the adjacent portion of said arcuate bead, acorresponding downwardly facing cutting means middle flat surfacedefined on said cutting means and disposed in slidable engagement withthe adjacent portion of said base means middle surface, a correspondingcutting means arcuate bead defined on said cutting means adjacent saidcutting means upper and middle surfaces and together therewith definingsaid arcuate retaining flange with said cutting means arcuate beadsituated in slidable engagement with the adjacent portions of saidarcuate groove surface and said arcuate bead, a corresponding upwardlyfacing cutting means lower flat surface defined on said cutting means inslidable engagement with the adjacent portion of said base means lowersurface, a corresponding inwardly facing cutting means arcuate marginalsurface defined on said cutting means intermediate said cutting meansmiddle and lower surfaces and disposed in slidable engagement with saidbase means arcuate marginal surface, said base means middle and lowersurfaces and said base means arcuate marginal surface together defininga downwardly and outwardly inclined marginal flange, said cutting meansmiddle and lower surfaces and said cutting means arcuate marginalsurface together defining a corresponding coacting retaining lip, saidretaining lip slidably enveloping and limitedly retaining said inclinedmarginal flange, said cutting means being slidably mounted for arcuatepivoting in a single plane on said base means within the pivotal limitsof said stop means about an axis of pivot defined by a lineperpendicular to the plane of such circle and passing through the centerof such circle with said arcuate retaining flange in arcuate slidableretaining engagement with said arcuate retaining groove and saidretaining lip in slidable enveloping engagement with said marginalflange to permit such arcuate pivoting while preventing otherwisedisplacement of said cutting means with respect to said base means, lugmeans disposed on said base means on the side thereof closest to saidaxis and follower projection means disposed on said base means belowsaid marginal flange, said elongated upper channel means representingthe housing for the forward drive cable means for driving the planer anda guideway for the lug means of the planer to which the drive areattached and said elongated lower channel means representing the housingfor the return drive cable means, said upper channel means having anupper crest portion and a lower slide portion, said crest and slideportions being spaced from one another at the corresponding partsthereof adjacent said plate means to define a longitudinally extendingslit therebetween to receive within the upper channel means therethroughthe lug means of the planer to which the cable means are attached, saidlower channel means having a laterally outwardly and downwardly inclinedportion on the side thereof remote from said plate means and a bottomlateral portion, said bottom lateral portion having a first upwardlydirected flange attached to said plate means and a second upwardlydirected flange extending outwardly beyond the lower end of saidinclined portion to form a retaining trough with the lower end of saidinclined portion thereat, a mine face engaging knife probe beingdisposed on the laterally outer end of said second flange for engagingthe mine face, brace means interconnecting said crest and lower slideportions as well as said inclined portion with said first upwardlydirected flange attached to said plate means, and rib meansinterconnecting said lower end of said inclined portion with said bottomlateral portion, said crest and inclined portions on the correspondingsides thereof remote from the conveyor defining track means for mountingthe planer for movement along said upper and lower channel means withthe lug means of the base means to which the cable means are attachedbeing received within the upper channel means through said slit and withthe follower projection means of the base means being received withinsaid retaining trough to permit longitudinal movement of such planerwithout transverse displacement with respect to said upper and lowerchannel means, said knife probe being adapted to engage the mine face atthe floor level thereof to anchor the planer guide against displacement.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,137,484 6/1964Fontein 29934 FOREIGN PATENTS 974,235 6/ 1960 Germany. 769,328 3/1957Great Britain. 808,475 2/1959 Great Britain. 869,463 5/1961 GreatBritain.

ERNEST R. PURSER, Primary Examiner.

CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Examiner.

1. PLANER FOR EXTRACTING MINERAL FROM A MINE FACE WHICH COMPRISES BASEMEANS LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE BACK AND FORTH ALONG THE MINE FACE, ANARCUATE RETAINING GROOVE DEFINED IN SAID BASE MEANS, CUTTING MEANS, ANDAN ARCUATE RETAINING FLANGE DEFINED ON SAID CUTTING MEANS, SAID ARCUATEGROOVE REPRESENTING THE ARC OF A CHORD OF A CIRCLE IN A PLANE PASSINGTHROUGH SAID PLANER AND HAVING ITS CENTER AT A POINT REMOTE FROM SUCHPLANAR, AND SAID CUTTING MEANS BEING SLIDABLY MOUNTED FOR ARCUATEPIVOTING ON SAID BASE